The family of a 26-year-old Brazilian tourist who died after falling from a cliff while hiking an active volcano in Indonesia, has spoken out publicly, placing blame on local rescue teams and calling for justice, Folha reports.
Juliana Marins was reported missing after she fell from a high-altitude trail near the crater of Mount Rinjani, a 12,000-foot volcano on the island of Lombok, during a sunrise trek on Saturday, June 21.
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Her fall occurred at around 6:30AM local time while she was making her way toward the summit.
It took rescue teams four days to recover her body, a delay her family says was inexcusable.
“Juliana suffered great negligence on the part of the rescue team,” her relatives wrote in an emotional statement shared on social media and broadcast by TV Globo in Brazil. “If the team had reached her within the estimated time of seven hours, Juliana would still be alive.”
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“Juliana deserved much more,” they added. “Now we are going to seek justice for her, because that is what she deserves! Don’t give up on Juliana!”
The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed her death in a translated statement, noting that “after four days of work, made difficult by adverse weather, ground and visibility conditions,” Indonesian rescue teams located her body on Tuesday, June 24, PEOPLE reports.
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“[We] extend our condolences to the family and friends of the Brazilian tourist for the immense loss caused by this tragic accident,” the ministry said.
An Instagram account created to track updates on Juliana’s recovery confirmed the heartbreaking news: “With immense sadness, we inform you that she did not survive. We remain very grateful for all the prayers, messages of affection and support that we have received.”
According to a post by Gunung Rinjani National Park, her body was retrieved from the treacherous mountain terrain on Wednesday, June 25, and transported to Bhayangkara Hospital.
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Officials acknowledged that the operation involved “cross-agency collaboration and volunteers, working in extreme terrain with unpredictable weather.”
Juliana’s father, Manoel Marins, later identified her body at the hospital, but said the family felt abandoned by their own country’s officials.
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“The Brazilian government, which we’ve tried to contact, is also not helping us,” he told TV Globo, as reported by The Daily Beast and Newsweek. “This is very sad and extremely serious. She is a 26-year-old girl, a Brazilian citizen, and no one, except family and friends, seems to care.”
Juliana’s sister, Marianna, also voiced frustration, alleging that the Indonesian rescue team shared misleading information and even edited footage of the search.
She claimed the family was falsely told Juliana was receiving food and water. “The Indonesian government is lying, and the embassy is not verifying the facts before informing us,” she said.
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The family continues to demand answers, saying the delay and lack of transparency cost Juliana her life.